WORLD LUPUS DAY (PURPLE DAY) 2023
THEME: MAKE LUPUS VISIBLE
WLD is a global healthcare event commemorated every May 10 to raise awareness about this critical condition; It calls for an in-depth understanding and support for each individual who has been impacted, besides increasing funds for more research and raising awareness about Lupus, which is a chronic autoimmune disease caused when the immune system attacks its own tissue, resulting in pain and inflammation of the body tissues.
World Lupus Day owes its intention of increasing public awareness about lupus diagnosis and its psychological, social, and economic consequences, and it takes the pledge of creating awareness about the condition among the local people and healthcare governing bodies, enlightening them about the disease’s severity, raising the funds required for deep research, and providing mental support for all the affected people and their families.
On this day, many local and international organizations, communities, patient advocates, and healthcare professionals gather for a day of action to promote understanding about the disease so that people throughout the world can learn more about this crippling condition and fight against it.
Lupus affects anyone and is typically diagnosed between the ages of 15 and 44 years; however, females are more affected than males, which might be due to increased production of oestrogen hormones, as oestrogens are known immune system modulators; they influence cytokine production and play a role in the lupus pathogenesis.
HOW TO CONTROL LUPUS
Although no single treatment is guaranteed to improve a lupus patient’s condition, the following lifestyle adjustments can aid in improving day-to-day management.
Adhering to prescribed medications
Maintaining a regular exercise
Quitting alcohol and smoking
Applying sun protection screen
Having enough sleep
Reduce stress
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY INTERVENTION STRATEGY
OTs treat clients with the varying symptoms that can be experienced when a diagnosis of lupus is present and, in doing so, aim to increase or preserve mobility so that clients can perform activities that are necessary or desired in areas such as self-care, home management, work, leisure, and social participation. Lupus may impact a person’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being, which can affect their ability to perform activities. OTs work alongside the client in adapting and modifying their activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) to decrease, avoiding, and preventing dysfunction and promoting and improving, where possible, a healthy lifestyle.
Clients with lupus can have flares and periods of remission, disrupting their everyday lives. Occupational therapy practitioners can teach these clients the self-management skills that will help them cope with their daily activities. OTs have the unique skill set and specialized knowledge required to create and modify the environment, enabling individuals to carry out the activities they wish to be involved with. With a theoretical base of anatomy, pathology, and the physical and emotional demands placed on the body.
OTs can engage clients by introducing interventions that give the client insight into their condition and how it progresses, resulting in interventions to support the management of pain and fatigue.
The occupational process begins with an evaluation to determine what areas the client wishes to focus on and what activities they wish to carry out. As one of the few health care professionals to use the skill of activity analysis, OTs will observe and assess a client’s ability to carry out an activity, breaking the activity down into its core components. In doing so, the OT can identify where the client faces barriers to completing their chosen occupation; this may include assessments around range of motion, muscle strength, sensation, pain, and activity endurance. Through evaluation, OTs identify the need for splints and other support equipment, home, work, and environmental adaptations, and post-surgery support. Through evidence-based practice, they can introduce suitable adaptations and techniques to promote and facilitate independence.
Through the use of therapeutic activities, OTs can promote gross and fine motor control, endurance, strength, and range of motion, improving functional abilities when carrying out daily tasks such as self-care, work, and leisure activities.
These approaches educate clients to plan, simplify, and pace tasks as a way of protecting joints, reducing strain, fatigue, and pain, and avoiding joint and tissue overuse while participating in activities. Modification and adaptability go hand in hand with energy conservation and joint protection. Easy-grip handles, adjustable shelves, grab bars, a raised toilet seat, a height-adjustable chair with arms, the removal of clutter, and introducing specialist equipment are just some examples of adaptive equipment and approaches that can positively influence a client’s independence in the environment. These combined strategies address clients’ functional needs and maintain or increase their participation in home, work, leisure, and community activities by accommodating decreased joint motion, strength, and endurance.
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